From October 29th to November 1st, 2022, around 30 Bridgerunners gathered in sunny Frankfurt with the goal of rocking 42.2km - some the entire distance, others in relay, behind the camera, with Bridgerunners flags on the edge for the best Motivation or on the bike as route companion. Coming from Düsseldorf, Berlin and Barcelona, we met with great anticipation of the reunion and the marathon on Saturday in the exhibition hall to pick up the start numbers together. Last minute relay registrations - no problem.
Hoka has really worked hard when it comes to the shake-out run, event shirts and the pasta party. The location: a ship on the Main. With Hoka test training shoes, the 5 km shake-out run along the Main was no problem. We were able to shine as a group in the running ABC, thanks to the wonderful months of preparation by Nicola, Hanniel and Azib, we once again added a few extra kilometers and intermediate sprints to visually capture the 1A performance.
Fast forward to the hotel, shower, change, prepare outfit and equipment for the marathon and off to the Hoka Pasta Party. While the marathon runners wanted to play it safe and ate at a nearby Italian restaurant, the rest of the group shoveled in some pasta on the Hoka ship and washed it down with some delicious wine and cold beer. The training on Faperol Friday paid off.
After the restaurant, the group of marathon runners had their second course - rinsed off without alcohol, of course. There was even non-alcoholic wine at the bar! While the other guests were rather reserved, we got on the dance floor and heated up the area. While some have found walking difficult, good sleep before the run is important! Unfortunately, you don't always have control over it yourself: Nicola was locked out of the hotel room, had to stay with Azib and Dennis for a short time, Mareike was locked up on the 12th floor, the receptionist was absolutely unable to help and solve the situation. Short-term move to another room at 2 a.m. before the marathon: climb over the neighbors’ balcony with all your luggage and move into a - well-deserved - hotel suite. Good night!
The next morning: bright sunshine, excitement, anticipation, various Nutella sandwiches, group photos and the final promises for the upcoming race. The atmosphere along the route was fantastic: many music groups, families, friends and children gave their all. The highlight was, of course, seeing our own group on the edge with the flags and how everyone smiled and cheered in a motivating way. Laura gave everything in the last few kilometers and even ran with the Bridgerunners flag as a pacer. For me personally one of the most beautiful moments during the marathon. Hanniel and Azib can be used in a number of ways: sometimes they were spotted as relay runners, sometimes as pacers and sometimes as photographers. Mimi and Nicola switched to cycling in the meantime and really paced again. The finish line was particularly emotional: Red carpet on the last meters accompanied by loud music and cheering of the crowd and the presenter and overjoyed runners at the finish line, with tired legs but big grins from both ears.
While some of the Bridgerunners had to leave on Sunday after the run, Azib, Nicola, Laura, Mimi, Romi, Meike, Holger, Anne, Dennis and Mareike dedicated themselves to toasting and celebrating. A delicious breakfast on November 1st and a walk in the sun was the crowning glory of a wonderful weekend and event.
THANK YOU for the joint preparation in Düsseldorf, the motivation and atmosphere in the group, the emotional support and the pace during the marathon, the visual capture of the moments (Azib, Hanniel, Nico) and the celebration afterwards! Since the weather is guaranteed to be much better in the south, Spain is particularly recommended as the next marathon excursion destination ;-)
Author: Mareike Uhl
Photos : Azib Hamidi , Hanniel Hu
